Welcome! This site was born out of need. The need to tell patients about the latest research linking Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) to Crohn’s disease and to extend an invitation to a symposium held on August 16, 2015 in Chicago discussing MAP’s role in Crohn’s. It has since grown into a home for people from around the world to find information on Crohn’s disease, MAP, and exclusive articles written by the experts in this field. While MAP is most closely associated with Crohn’s disease, new research is beginning to link MAP to other diseases currently classified as autoimmune.

Our mission is simple: Provide the latest research and education to the world and provide a home where everyone can connect and discuss MAP. We invite you to join us and watch the science unfold before your eyes.

For the last 20 years, a dedicated group of Doctors and Researchers have been studying the pathogen Mycobacteria avium ssp paratuberculosis (MAP) and its relationship to Crohn’s disease and other diseases currently thought to be autoimmune diseases. Crohn’s disease is one of a class of diseases called Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD). The most well recognized diseases in this class are Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis have similar symptoms but will present in different parts of the intestinal tract.

For years, the prevailing view was that IBD was an autoimmune disease, which meant that the patient’s body was attacking itself. For an explanation on autoimmune diseases and why new information has led to Crohn’s disease being dropped from this broad category, see the Crohn’s Info tab. The cause of IBD has been elusive, but some in this field believe that IBD, and perhaps many autoimmune diseases, are instead caused by a pathogen called Mycobacterium avium ssp paratuberculosis, or MAP for short. This group has recently made great strides toward isolating a cause of Crohn’s disease, which may eventually yield a cure for Crohn’s and possibly other disease misclassified as autoimmune diseases.

“The answer to Crohn’s disease is like a jigsaw puzzle – a jigsaw that is 100 years in the assembly. The final shape of the jigsaw is becoming clear. The blue sky bits have been done by those who went before us, and each member of the symposium has some of the remaining pieces. No one is wrong, but it is a case of working to finish the jigsaw in a way that everyone can see the picture. The finished picture will change lives globally.”

John Aitken

On August 16, 2015, history was made when these Presenters gathered in Chicago to present their research to the public. If you are dealing with Crohn’s disease or another “autoimmune” disease like Type 1 Diabetes, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or multiple sclerosis, you need to see this research. It is time for this information to become publicly available. It is time for the greater medical community to understand this research.